26 April 2024
This website is regularly archived by the British Library who selectively archive websites with research values that are representative of British social history and cultural heritage.

Museum search


Viscount Survivors


59 of the 444 Viscounts built survive as complete airframes or major components. Some are in very good condition and are looked after by museums while others are just wrecks. They can be found in 24 countries.

Viscount history


Discover the history of the Viscount with film, video, contemporary reports from the pages of Flight Magazine, our newsletters, and aircraft operational records and photos from our database.


Share your photos and stories


Our 'Live Magazine' is used by members and non-members to share their Viscount photos and stories with fellow enthusiasts located throughout the world in real time.

You are able to send in your photos, stories and comments by Facebook, Twitter or email and we will post them for all to enjoy.

Contact us


Join the Vickers Viscount Network
for FREE


Featured pages

Our website contains over 20,000 pages of photos and information that can all be accessed from the menu at the top of every page. Here are a few to get you started.



This website does not use cookies or capture your details


Established 2005
Vickers Viscount Network
A Virtual Museum dedicated to the Vickers-Armstrongs VC2 Viscount
   

Viscount c/n 11

Operational Record

Photo of Viscount c/n 11
British European Airways Corporation (BEA)


England flag England

This V.701 series Viscount was built for
British European Airways Corporation (BEA) as G-AMOB

It first flew on Friday, 10 April 1953 at Weybridge, Surrey, England powered by Rolls-Royce Dart 505 engines.


During its life this aircraft was also owned and/or operated by
Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP)


Photo of Viscount c/n 11
Aero Clube de Brasil


Brasil flag Brasil

Its final owner/operator was
Aero Clube de Brasil as PP-SRI.

Its fate:-
Withdrawn from service by Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP) at Congonhas Airport, São Paulo, Brasil in April 1970 and donated to the Aeroclube de Brasil in April 1975.

Transferred by road to Jacarepagua, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil for preservation in a faded VASP livery.

Broken up for scrap in June 1979.


Operational record
Photo of Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd Viscount G-AMOB

Country of Registration United Kingdom

May 1952 to March 1953

Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd

G-AMOB - c/n 11 - a V.701 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

August 1949
Discussions concluded between Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd and British European Airways Corporation (BEA) regarding the specification for the Type 701 aircraft.

Accommodation for 47 passengers at a gross weight of 53,000 lbs was specified with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 505 engines.

3 August 1950
Order placed by British European Airways Corporation (BEA) for 20 Type 701 aircraft which was later increased to 26.

23 May 1952
Registered to Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd.

This was the 6th Type 701 Viscount ordered by British European Airways Corporation (BEA).

Production Aircraft No. 7 - the 7th production Type 700 series Viscount built,
was the 6th Viscount fuselage assembled at Weybridge, Surrey, England,
and the 7th Viscount assembled at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

Production Order No. F06/701. Sales Order No. F06/84A. Stock Order No. F08/10B.

20 June 1952
Fuselage assembly commenced at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

26 August 1952
Fuselage to Erecting Shop 'E' at Weybridge, Surrey, England.

23 March 1953
Registration to Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd cancelled.

27 March 1953
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA).


Photo of British European Airways Corporation (BEA) Viscount G-AMOB

Country of Registration United Kingdom

April 1953 to August 1962

British European Airways Corporation (BEA)

G-AMOB - c/n 11 - a V.701 series Viscount
United Kingdom registered

27 March 1953
Registered to British European Airways Corporation (BEA), Keyline House, Ruislip, Middlesex.

3 April 1953
Engine ground running commenced.

10 April 1953
First flight from Brooklands Airfield, Weybridge, Surrey, England.

It landed at Wisley Airfield, Surrey, England for fitting out and test flying.

22 April 1953
Certificate of Airworthiness issued.

24 April 1953
Delivered to British European Airways (BEA) named as 'R M A William Baffin'.

It was fitted with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 505 engines.

The cabin was fitted out with a 47 seat all-tourist class layout.

14 May 1953
Captain William 'Bill' Baillie flew Princess Margaret to Fornebu Airport, Oslo, Norway for the wedding of Princess Ragnhild.

17 May 1953
Return flight from Fornebu, Oslo, Norway with Princess Margaret piloted by Captain A S Johnson.

17 July 1953
Operated the first Viscount service from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England to Renfrew Airport, Glasgow, Scotland flown by Captain A S Johnson.

1954 to 1962
The original ‘cutlass’ design propeller blades were gradually replaced by new symmetrical ‘needle’ blade propeller sets.

From photographic evidence, both propeller types were fitted to Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3, Mark 505 and Mark 506 engines and many aircraft flew with an ‘intermix’ of both types of propeller blades.

13 December 1954
Overran the runway at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England during an aborted takeoff due to a jammed control column with the subsequent collapse of the undercarriage.

Cause: Detailed examination of the cockpit disclosed that one of the anti-vibration mountings for the starboard instrument panel had been fitted the wrong way round, and that the attachment bolt was bent sufficiently to prevent the securing knob from holding the panel and mounting together firmly as one unit. This allowed the panel to drop, and the stop brackets on the control column became trapped behind the panel edge causing the controls to jam.

10 January 1955
Noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England still in the same position after its landing incident.

Repaired and returned to service.

May 1955 to December 1956
All BEA V.701 aircraft were gradually retrofitted with Rolls-Royce Dart RDa3 Mark 506 engines which were upgraded using modified Mark 505 engines.

Aircraft are known to have flown with an ‘intermix’ of both engine marks between these dates.

When completely retro-fitted with Mark 506 engines, the Type 701A designation was applied to these aircraft although this has not been seen widely used or quoted.

3 May 1957
Operated the first Viscount service from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England to Valencia Airport, Spain flown by Captain A S Johnson and Captain R P Priest.

8 April 1958
Operated the first Viscount service from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England to Warsaw Airport, Poland.

18 February 1959
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

Painted in the BEA ‘Red Square‘ livery.
BEA
‘Red Square‘ livery

March 1959
A new BEA 'Red Square' livery was adopted and aircraft were repainted during the early 1960s when they next went in for overhaul.

Sadly, after repainting, the aircraft no longer carried a name including the nameplate on the forward cabin bulkhead.

22 April 1959
Noted at London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England fitted with a set of BEA designed integral front 'airsteps'.

The new 'Red Square' livery had not yet been applied to this aircraft.

4 November 1959
Last noted at Blackbushe Airport, Hampshire, England.

from 1959
Converted from 40/47 seats to 60/63 seats in a new high density configuration. This modification also entailed the installation of an 11th standard size window on the rear starboard side and a small window behind the rear entrance door on the port side.

17 October 1960
Noted at Gatwick Airport, Surrey, England due to a London Airport (Heathrow) weather diversion.

circa June 1962
Offered for sale for £110,000.

30 August 1962
Sold to Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP).

FURTHER READING: Books about British European Airways



Photo of Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP) Viscount PP-SRI

Country of Registration Brasil

August 1962 to April 1975

Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP)

PP-SRI - c/n 11 - a V.701 series Viscount
Brasil registered

30 August 1962
Purchased from British European Airways Corporation (BEA) along with nine other Type 701 from the fleet.

It still had the integral front 'airsteps' fitted.

The package deal including spare parts came to a total of £1,550.000 with an initial deposit of £310,000 and the remainder repaid over three years at an interest rate of 6%.

These Viscounts were obtained instead of an uncompleted order for new Handley Page HPR.7 Dart Heralds due to production delays and were used to replace the Saab Scanias.

26 February 1963
Departed on delivery from London Airport (Heathrow), Middlesex, England via Renfrew Airport, Glasgow, Scotland, Keflavik Airport, Iceland, Bluey West 8, Goose Bay Airport, Dorval Airport, Montreal, Canada, Washington & Miami, USA in full VASP livery together with Viscount PP-SRJ (C/N 15).

31 March 1967
Damaged during a landing at Congonhas Airport, São Paulo, Brasil after it over-ran the end of the runway and partially toppled over the edge of the raised embankment.

There were no reported injuries to the passengers and crew on board.

Repaired and returned to service.

8 April 1970
Withdrawn from service and stored at Congonhas Airport, São Paulo, Brasil.

Total time 22,571 hours and 16,249 total landings.

April 1975
Donated to the Aero Cube de Brasil.


Photo of Aero Clube de Brasil Viscount PP-SRI

Country of Registration Brasil

April 1975 to June 1979

Aero Clube de Brasil

PP-SRI - c/n 11 - a V.701 series Viscount
Brasil registered

April 1975
Donated by Viação Aérea São Paulo SA (VASP).

Delivered by road to Jacarepagua, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil for preservation in a faded VASP livery.

June 1979
Broken up for scrap.


Photo of BEA - British European Airways Viscount G-AOJC

The Vickers Viscount Network is always interested to hear from anyone who has information or photographs to help complete the story of the Viscount. If you can help please contact us at
Information@VickersViscount.net.


Click here for more details about the Vickers Viscount Network

This website has been designed, built and is maintained by Geoff Blampied, Norwich, Norfolk, England.